The Ontario Power Authority: Engaging with “stakeholders” after Burning the Bridges

The Press Release from the OPA issued on August 1, 2013 spoke to how they wish to engage “with stakeholders, municipalities and Aboriginal communities.” to develop a “new competitive procurement process for large renewable projects”. This “engagement” was driven by a June 12, 2013 directive from Bob Chiarelli, the current Ontario Minister of Energy but for some reason it has taken the OPA over a month and a half to undertake his directions. These engagements with the stakeholders are to wrap up by August 19, 2013 and the recommendations will be summarized and presented to Minister Chiarelli by September 1, 2013.

Picture from Ottawa Sun

The amusing part of this process is that the OPA has (according to their March 31, 2013 report) already contracted for 22,282 MW and that doesn't include any of the reported 2,600 MW of conservation that they claim in the chart on their Status, Outlook and Options for Electricity Service , paper released in support of the Long-Term Energy Plan Review that Minister Chiarelli has instituted.

It should also be noted that it was the OPA who presumably contracted for the Greenfield and TransCanada gas plants which have cost the ratepayers and taxpayers a minimum of $585 million for absolutely NO POWER! The Mississauga Greenfield process of “competitive procurement” resulted in two contracts awarded to a company that could not secure financing resulting in most of the the huge settlement associated with the movement of that gas plant to Lambton. One of the two contracts awarded was eventually cancelled but the latter cost, to Ontario's ratepayers and taxpayers, went to satisfy the almost usurious rates charged to them by the party that eventually provided the financing for the Mississauga gas plant.
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